Socio-ecologic Correlates of HIV/AIDS-Related Sexual Risk Behavior of African American Emerging Adults.

There is growing evidence showing that patterns of individual sexual risk behaviors are insufficient in explaining the disproportionate HIV/AIDS burden borne by African Americans. Instead, dynamic features of social, economic, political, and geographic contexts play a more determining role. However, not enough studies have examined the impact of multi-level factors including neighborhood-level influences on HIV/AIDS sexual risk among African American emerging adults using a socio-ecologic perspective.

Randomized Community Trial Comparing Telephone versus Clinic-Based Behavioral Health Counseling for People Living with HIV in a Rural Setting.

Purpose: To test the efficacy of a theory-based behavioral intervention delivered via telephone versus clinic-based counseling to improve HIV outcomes and reduce alcohol consumption for people at-risk for treatment failure in a rural setting.

Methods: Patients receiving HIV care (N = 240) were randomized using a computer-generated scheme to one of three conditions: (a) telephone behavioral health counseling, (b) clinic-based behavioral health counseling, or (c) attention control nutrition education. Behavioral counseling was delivered by either a community nurse or a paraprofessional patient navigator, with differences examined.

Response to Penicillin for Presumed Neurosyphilis in a Patient with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a Normal CD4 Count, and an Undetectable Viral Load: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Neurosyphilis is a bacterial infection of the brain and the spinal cord, caused by Treponema pallidum. Its nonspecific clinical presentation includes cognitive impairment and motor and/or sensory function compromise. Neurosyphilis infections in patients with HIV have increased over the past few years and many cases of neurosyphilis manifest in patients with HIV who have low CD4 T-cell counts and high viral loads (VL).

Perceived sensitivity to medicines and the experience of side-effects: understanding intentional medication nonadherence among people living with HIV.

Patient initiated decisions to forgo taking medications (i.e. intentional nonadherence) pose significant challenges to managing chronic health conditions.

Intersecting alcohol use and depression impedes HIV treatment in the rural South, USA.

This study tested the hypothesis that the co-occurrence of alcohol use and depressive symptoms predicts HIV suppression and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people living with HIV. Baseline cross-sectional results showed a significant interaction between depressive symptoms and alcohol use in predicting HIV suppression; individuals who drank more alcohol and had higher depressive symptoms demonstrated poorer HIV suppression relative to those who had fewer depressive symptoms. In a one-year longitudinal analysis of ART adherence, alcohol use and depressive symptoms measured in daily text-message assessments demonstrated that neither alcohol use nor depressive symptoms alone predicted ART adherence.

Individual Social Capital and the HIV Continuum of Care in a Rural Setting of the Southeast United States.

Social capital is associated with the health of people living with HIV, and yet few studies have examined social capital in relation to the HIV continuum of care in the United States. The current study assessed individual social capital within social networks of 251 people living with HIV and residing in a rural area of the southeastern United States. Participants completed computerized self-administered measures that included markers of social capital and disclosure of HIV status to network members.

Drug Use and Life Chaos as Potential Factors Contributing to HIV Viral Load among People with Lower Health Literacy.

Lower health literacy is associated with poorer health outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH), but the explanatory mechanisms for these associations are not well understood. Factors such as drug use and life chaos may at least in part account for the relationship between lower health literacy and poor health outcomes. The current study tested the hypothesis that lower health literacy would predict drug use, which in turn would predict life chaos, and that all three factors would be related to poorer heath, defined by higher concentrations of HIV viremia.

Comparative effects of telephone versus in-office behavioral counseling to improve HIV treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in a rural setting.

With the expansion of telehealth services, there is a need for evidence-based treatment adherence interventions that can be delivered remotely to people living with HIV. Evidence-based behavioral health counseling can be delivered via telephone, as well as in-office services. However, there is limited research on counseling delivery formats and their differential outcomes.

Cumulative Effects of Stigma Experiences on Retention in HIV Care Among Men and Women in the Rural Southeastern United States.

The stigmatization of HIV infection impedes every step along the HIV continuum of care, particularly care engagement and retention. The differential effects of various sources of stigma on retention in HIV care have been the subject of limited research. We examined the accumulation of HIV stigma experiences over 1 year in relationship to treatment retention among 251 men and women marginally engaged in HIV care in the southeastern United States.

What Do Kayaking and a Hog Have in Common? Two Cases of Aeromonas Hydrophila infection in Georgia.

We highlight 2 cases of immunocompetent pediatric patients diagnosed with osteomyelitis and cellulitis attributed to Aeromonas hydrophila. One case had a direct water source; however, the second case occurred following a wild hog bite. Both required fluoroquinolone treatment and demonstrated the need to consider A.

Intersecting Pandemics: Impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Protective Behaviors on People Living With HIV, Atlanta, Georgia.

Background: COVID-19 and its social responses threaten the health of people living with HIV. We conducted a rapid-response interview to assess COVID-19 protective behaviors of people living with HIV and the impact of their responses on HIV-related health care.

Method: Men and women living with HIV (N = 162) aged 20-37 years participating in a longitudinal study of HIV treatment and care completed routine study measures and an assessment of COVID-19-related experiences.

Patient-Reported Outcomes in ATLAS and FLAIR Participants on Long-Acting Regimens of Cabotegravir and Rilpivirine Over 48 Weeks.

The phase 3 ATLAS and FLAIR studies demonstrated that maintenance with Long-Acting (LA) intramuscular cabotegravir and rilpivirine is non-inferior in efficacy to current antiretroviral (CAR) oral therapy. Both studies utilized Patient-Reported Outcome instruments to measure treatment satisfaction (HIVTSQ) and acceptance (ACCEPT general domain), health status (SF-12), injection tolerability/acceptance (PIN), and treatment preference. In pooled analyses, LA-treated patients (n = 591) demonstrated greater mean improvements from baseline than the CAR group (n = 591) in treatment satisfaction (Week 44, + 3.

Anticipated HIV-Related Stigma and HIV Treatment Adherence: The Indirect Effect of Medication Concerns.

Although anticipated HIV-related stigma-the expectation that one will experience prejudice and discrimination in the future as a result of others learning his or her HIV positive status-is theorized to be a robust predictor of antiretroviral therapy (ART) non-adherence, the association between anticipated stigma and ART non-adherence has been inconsistent. It may be, however, that anticipated stigma reliably, but indirectly, contributes to poor ART adherence through other psychosocial mechanisms. In the current study, we examine whether anticipated stigma indirectly contributes to treatment non-adherence through increased medication concerns.

Income Inequality, HIV Stigma, and Preventing HIV Disease Progression in Rural Communities.

Antiretroviral therapies (ART) suppress HIV replication, thereby preventing HIV disease progression and potentially preventing HIV transmission. However, there remain significant health disparities among people living with HIV, particularly for women living in impoverished rural areas. A significant contributing factor to HIV-related disparities is a stigma.

Alcohol-Related Intentional Antiretroviral Nonadherence among People Living with HIV: Test of an Interactive Toxicity Beliefs Process Model.

Beliefs that it is harmful to mix medications with alcohol (ie, interactive toxicity beliefs) are a known source of intentional antiretroviral therapy (ART) nonadherence. This study examined a serial process model of alcohol-ART interactive toxicity beliefs, alcohol-ART avoidance behaviors, and ART adherence in the association between alcohol use and HIV viral load. Participants were 198 patients receiving ART from a community clinic in the southeastern United States; 125 reported current alcohol use.

Experiences of HIV-related discrimination and consequences for internalised stigma, depression and alcohol use.

HIV stigma undermines health and well-being of people living with HIV (PLWH). Conceptual work on stigma mechanisms suggests that experiences of stigma or discrimination increase internalised stigma. However, not all PLWH may internalise the HIV discrimination they experience.

Perceived sensitivity to medicines, alcohol interactive toxicity beliefs, and medication adherence among people living with HIV who drink alcohol.

Erroneous beliefs that it is toxic to drink alcohol while taking antiretroviral therapies (ART) used for treating HIV infection, known as alcohol interactive toxicity beliefs, may at least in part account for ART nonadherence among alcohol drinkers. This study was conducted to test a conceptual framework to explain the effects of interactive toxicity beliefs on ART adherence. Computerized surveys were administered to 124 participants receiving HIV care in the southeastern US.

Psychosocial complications of HIV/AIDS-metabolic disorder comorbidities among patients in a rural area of southeastern United States.

As people living with HIV experience longer life-expectancies resulting from antiretroviral therapy, comorbid conditions are increasing, particularly metabolic disorders. There is potential for psychosocial factors such as stigma experiences, depression, and alcohol use to complicate both HIV infection and metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. While the impact of these psychosocial factors on HIV infection alone are widely studied, their role in potentially complicating HIV co-morbid metabolic conditions has received little attention.

Population Density and AIDS-Related Stigma in Large-Urban, Small-Urban, and Rural Communities of the Southeastern USA.

AIDS stigmas delay HIV diagnosis, interfere with health care, and contribute to mental health problems among people living with HIV. While there are few studies of the geographical distribution of AIDS stigma, research suggests that AIDS stigmas are differentially experienced in rural and urban areas. We conducted computerized interviews with 696 men and women living with HIV in 113 different zip code areas that were classified as large-urban, small-urban, and rural areas in a southeast US state with high-HIV prevalence.

Differences in Selected HIV Care Continuum Outcomes Among People Residing in Rural, Urban, and Metropolitan Areas-28 US Jurisdictions.

Purpose: The HIV care continuum is used to monitor success in HIV diagnosis and treatment among persons living with HIV in the United States. Significant differences exist along the HIV care continuum between subpopulations of people living with HIV; however, differences that may exist between residents of rural and nonrural areas have not been reported.

Methods: We analyzed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National HIV Surveillance System data on adults and adolescents (≥13 years) with HIV diagnosed in 28 jurisdictions with complete reporting of HIV-related lab results.

Disseminated histoplasmosis presenting as pelvic inflammatory disease.

A 39-year-old female patient was presented with acute abdominal pain. Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed extensive granulomas throughout the abdomen. Disseminated TB was suspected, but the biopsies were negative.